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• Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate Research

The Government Department is a national leader in undergraduate research. Our faculty and students collaborate on a wide variety of research projects. 

Students may choose to pursue an individual research topic, either through the Honors program or Independent Study. William & Mary has many resources available to undergraduates for their research. Swem Library can connect students to information about government and political theory as well as data from governments. There are also financial resources available to students engaged in research.

Most members of the Government faculty conduct meaningful, multi-year research projects with our students. Many of these projects have resulted in publication. Several of these initiatives in faculty-student research are underway now. For specifics on how to get involved in each of these or others, consult the Department's "Guide to Learning Outside the Traditional Classroom," and check out their individual sites below.  

• AidData collects, curates, and publishes data on more than $5.5 trillion dollars in development finance from 90 bilateral and multilateral agencies at the project level.
• Bosnia Project prepares student volunteers to work in the post-war communities in and around Sarajevo to teach English, cross-cultural understanding and non-violent communication
• Center for African Development conducts policy-relevant research on mobile technology and development; governance and state-building; and armed conflict in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Congressional Leadership/Whip Count Project studies congressional leadership, including specifically the whip system.
• Dunn Civil Liberties Project has the goal of enhancing knowledge of civil liberties and encouraging future generations of graduates to devote their time to advancing civil liberties causes.
• International Justice Lab (IJL) brings together faculty and students from across the United States to conduct collaborative research on human rights, transitional justice, and international law and courts.
• Omnibus Project coordinates and streamlines the development of a student subject pool for faculty and student research.
• NukeLab is an undergraduate research lab that applies cutting-edge social science theory and methods to pressing policy questions in nuclear security, proliferation, and deterrence. 
• Political Psychology and International Relations (PPIR) lab uses a psychological, including social and neuroscientific, approach to address the security, economic, and environmental challenges that arise from global interconnectedness.
• Project on International Peace and Security (PIPS) research fellows identify an emerging international security challenge and develop original and carefully researched policy recommendations.
• Social Network and Political Psychology Lab (SNaPP) investigates the biological, psychological, and social underpinnings of political behavior.
• Social Science Research Methods Center (SSRMC) helps students develop their own independent research projects and develop the skills necessary to be competitive for jobs requiring data analysis skills.
• Systematic Text Analysis for International Relations (STAIR) is a collaborative research group that uses text mining and machine learning tools to analyze and address political issues, with a particular focus on international relations.
• Teaching, Research and International Politics Project (TRIP) explores the links between teaching, research, and policy in the field of international relations and aims to bridge the gap between the study and practice of International Relations.